Super PAC ads accuse Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton of protecting pedophiles in the Kansas Senate race; FactCheck.org calls both attacks misleading or unsupported
A WinSenate ad says Sen. Roger Marshall voted to keep the Epstein files sealed and protected pedophiles. A Senate Leadership Fund ad says Adam Hamilton protected a pedophile at his church camp. FactCheck.org calls both attacks misleading or unsupported.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
A WinSenate ad says Sen. Roger Marshall helped cover up Jeffrey Epstein's abuse by voting to keep the Epstein files sealed, and a Senate Leadership Fund ad says his Democratic opponent, Adam Hamilton, protected a pedophile at his church's camp. FactCheck.org says both attacks are misleading or unsupported by the evidence.
Read the full background
In the final weeks of the 2026 Kansas Senate race, outside groups on each side ran ads accusing the other party's candidate of protecting pedophiles. A WinSenate ad posted on Oct. 9 says Republican Sen. Roger Marshall helped cover up Jeffrey Epstein's abuse by voting to keep the Epstein files sealed and used his office to protect pedophiles. FactCheck.org reported that WinSenate had spent more than $6 million on two ads making that claim by Nov. 2.
In September 2025, Marshall voted with most Senate Republicans to table a Democratic amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would have directed the Justice Department to release the files. He called the amendment a political stunt that held service members hostage. Two months later, the standalone Epstein Files Transparency Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent, so Marshall did not oppose it.
A Senate Leadership Fund ad posted on Oct. 22 says boys were molested at a camp run by Democrat Adam Hamilton's church, that the church swept their reports under the rug and welcomed the abuser back, and that Hamilton protected a pedophile. According to court records described by the Kansas City Star and summarized by FactCheck.org, teenage boys reported in 2005 that a man had entered their rooms at night, the church's internal inquiry could not identify him, and the church did not notify police. After similar reports the next year, church leaders identified a camp volunteer, reported him to police and barred him from working with children. The Star reported that Hamilton's name does not appear in documents about the 2005 handling.
On CNN on Oct. 18, Hamilton said the church should have called police immediately and called the accusations a misrepresentation. President Trump repeated the accusation at a rally for Marshall the next day.
FactCheck.org wrote on Nov. 2 that both attacks are misleading or unsupported by the evidence. It also disputed a second WinSenate ad's description of four Marshall donors as Epstein associates, saying none has been accused of wrongdoing. WinSenate defended its ads in a statement to FactCheck.org. FactCheck.org reported that Marshall's campaign did not respond to its request for comment and that a Senate Leadership Fund spokesperson pointed it to a press release about Hamilton's CNN remarks.
People in this case
Roger MarshallDirectly involved
Adam HamiltonDirectly involved
Timeline
5 timeline entries on this page. Dates: October 9, 2026 to November 2, 2026
October 2026
WinSenate ad says Marshall voted to keep the Epstein files sealed
Claim
WinSenate posts a 30-second ad saying Marshall helped cover up Epstein's abuse, voted to keep the Epstein files sealed and used his office to protect pedophiles.
[01]WinSenate
A 30-second ad from WinSenate, a super PAC that works to elect Democrats to the Senate, posted to its YouTube channel. The narrator says Marshall voted to keep the Epstein files sealed and used his office to protect pedophiles.
WinSenate ad: Cover It Up · WinSenateFull 30-second adHamilton tells CNN the church should have called police
Reaction
In a CNN report on the race, Hamilton calls the accusations about the church camp a misrepresentation and says the church should have called police immediately, though that was not its policy 21 years ago.
[02]CNN
A CNN report by Manu Raju on the Kansas Senate race with interviews of Adam Hamilton and Sen. Roger Marshall. Raju asks Hamilton about ads accusing him of covering up a child sex abuse case at a church camp two decades ago and about a Truth Social post by President Trump.
CNN: Can a Democrat snap Kansas' 94-year Republican streak and turn Kansas blue? · CNNVideo, 2:04 to 2:46 (Hamilton on the church camp ads)Senate Leadership Fund and Trump say Hamilton protected a child predator
Claim
The Senate Leadership Fund calls Hamilton a pedophile protector in a press release about his CNN answer, and Trump tells a rally for Marshall in Park City that Hamilton shielded a child sexual predator at his church.
[03]Senate Leadership Fund
A Senate Leadership Fund press release citing Hamilton's answer on CNN the day before about what he would have done differently.
Senate Leadership Fund press release: ICYMI: Adam Hamilton Admits Failure to Report Pedophile to Police · Senate Leadership FundFull press release[04]Transcript: Donald Trump speech at a midterm political rally in Park City, Kansas, October 19, 2026
Roll Call Factbase's time-stamped transcript of President Trump's rally for Sen. Roger Marshall in Park City, Kansas. In the passage cited, Trump says Hamilton shielded a child sexual predator at his church.
Transcript: Donald Trump speech at a midterm political rally in Park City, Kansas, October 19, 2026Transcript, 00:31:17 to 00:32:34Senate Leadership Fund ad says Hamilton protected a pedophile
Claim
The Senate Leadership Fund posts a 30-second ad saying boys were molested at Hamilton's church camp, that the church swept it under the rug and welcomed the abuser back, and that Hamilton protected a pedophile.
[05]Senate Leadership Fund
A 30-second ad from the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, posted to its YouTube channel. The narrator says boys were molested at Hamilton's church camp, that his church swept it under the rug, and that Hamilton protected a pedophile. SLF PAC is named as responsible for its content.
Senate Leadership Fund ad: Adam Hamilton: Unfit for U.S. Senate · Senate Leadership FundFull 30-second ad
November 2026
FactCheck.org calls both attacks misleading or unsupported
FactCheck.org says the WinSenate ads give an incomplete account of Marshall's votes on the Epstein files and that there is no evidence Hamilton knowingly protected a predator.
[06]FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org's review of two WinSenate ads about Sen. Roger Marshall and a Senate Leadership Fund ad about Adam Hamilton. It quotes the ads, an emailed statement from WinSenate spokesperson Lauren French, statements from spokespeople for two donors named in one ad, and Hamilton's remarks in an October debate and on CNN.
FactCheck.org: In Kansas, Both Sides Twist the Facts in Accusations of Protecting Pedophiles · FactCheck.orgFull article, including the sections on the WinSenate ads and the Senate Leadership Fund ad
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
WinSenate
Roger Marshall voted to keep the Epstein files sealed, helped cover up Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of girls and used his office to protect pedophiles.
What is disputed
Marshall voted in September 2025 to table a Democratic amendment to the defense policy bill that would have required release of the files, calling it a political stunt, and did not oppose the standalone Epstein Files Transparency Act two months later. FactCheck.org calls the ads' account misleading.
Sources (3)
- WinSenate ad: Cover It Up · WinSenateFull 30-second ad
- FactCheck.org: In Kansas, Both Sides Twist the Facts in Accusations of Protecting Pedophiles · FactCheck.orgFull article, including the sections on the WinSenate ads and the Senate Leadership Fund ad
Disputed claim
Senate Leadership Fund
Boys were molested at Adam Hamilton's church camp, his church swept their reports under the rug and welcomed the abuser back, and Hamilton protected a pedophile.
What is disputed
Court records described by the Kansas City Star show that the 2005 reports did not identify the perpetrator and that the church did not notify police, and the Star reported that Hamilton's name does not appear in documents about that handling. Hamilton says the church should have called police and calls the accusation a misrepresentation. FactCheck.org says there is no evidence he knowingly protected a predator.
Sources (3)
- Senate Leadership Fund press release: ICYMI: Adam Hamilton Admits Failure to Report Pedophile to Police · Senate Leadership FundFull press release
- Senate Leadership Fund ad: Adam Hamilton: Unfit for U.S. Senate · Senate Leadership FundFull 30-second ad
- FactCheck.org: In Kansas, Both Sides Twist the Facts in Accusations of Protecting Pedophiles · FactCheck.orgFull article, including the sections on the WinSenate ads and the Senate Leadership Fund ad
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
4 matching responses. Newest first.
FactCheck.orgFact-checking project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, in an article by Paul Cuno-BoothDirectly involved Before this statement
The article opens by saying that ads from Democratic and Republican outside groups in the tight Kansas Senate race accuse the other party's candidate of having protected pedophiles.
"In both cases, the attacks are misleading or unsupported by the evidence."
Challenged the characterizationCase context: Super PAC ads accuse Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton of protecting pedophiles in the Kansas Senate race; FactCheck.org calls both attacks misleading or unsupported
Full statement and sources
FactCheck.org says the WinSenate ads leave out that Marshall supported the 2025 law requiring release of the Epstein files and misdescribe donors as Epstein associates, and that there is no evidence Hamilton knowingly protected a predator.
After the statement
The article says Marshall supported the November 2025 law requiring release of the files after voting against an amendment he opposed attaching to an unrelated defense bill, and that Hamilton has acknowledged the church could have handled the case better.
FactCheck.org: In Kansas, Both Sides Twist the Facts in Accusations of Protecting Pedophiles · FactCheck.orgFull article, including the sections on the WinSenate ads and the Senate Leadership Fund adWhy this label?
The reference point is the super PAC ads' accusations that Marshall and Hamilton protected pedophiles. FactCheck.org says the WinSenate ads do not give a full account of Marshall's votes and that the record does not show Hamilton knowingly protected a predator, which disputes both characterizations.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
WinSenateSuper PAC working to elect Democrats to the Senate, in an emailed statement from spokesperson Lauren French to FactCheck.orgDirectly involved Before this statement
FactCheck.org asked WinSenate about its ads. French first said that Marshall's initial vote against releasing the files was a decision to keep evidence about the sexual abuse of children locked away for months longer, while the powerful people named in it kept their secrets.
"When survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse pleaded with Roger Marshall for justice and transparency, he turned his back on them"
Defended or excusedResponding to: Roger Marshall voted to keep the Epstein files sealed, helped cover up Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of girls and used his office to protect pedophiles.
Full statement and sources
In an emailed statement to FactCheck.org, WinSenate spokesperson Lauren French says Marshall's vote against an amendment to release the Epstein files kept evidence of child sexual abuse locked away for months, and that he turned his back on survivors who pleaded for transparency.
After the statement
French went on to say that Marshall voted to kill an effort to force the Justice Department to release the files, blaming technicalities. FactCheck.org reports that she did not answer its question about the ad's description of four donors as Epstein associates.
FactCheck.org: In Kansas, Both Sides Twist the Facts in Accusations of Protecting Pedophiles · FactCheck.orgFull article, including the sections on the WinSenate ads and the Senate Leadership Fund adWhy this label?
The reference point is the super PAC ads' accusations that Marshall and Hamilton protected pedophiles. French repeats the accusation against Marshall and argues that his vote kept evidence of abuse locked away, which defends WinSenate's claim.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Senate Leadership FundRepublican super PAC, in a press release on its websiteDirectly involvedBefore this statement
The release, posted the day after CNN aired Hamilton's interview with Manu Raju, opens with the words "In case you missed it" before this passage.
"pedophile protector Adam Hamilton admitted that he failed to report a sexual predator abusing children under his watch to law enforcement, despite multiple children coming forward."
Defended or excusedResponding to: Boys were molested at Adam Hamilton's church camp, his church swept their reports under the rug and welcomed the abuser back, and Hamilton protected a pedophile.
Full statement and sources
A Senate Leadership Fund press release calls Hamilton a pedophile protector and says his CNN answer was an admission that he failed to report a sexual predator to police, which it says contradicts his campaign's advertising.
After the statement
The release quotes Hamilton telling CNN that the church should have called police immediately and says the admission contradicts his campaign's advertising. Three days later the group posted its ad saying Hamilton protected a pedophile.
Senate Leadership Fund press release: ICYMI: Adam Hamilton Admits Failure to Report Pedophile to Police · Senate Leadership FundFull press releaseWhy this label?
The reference point is the super PAC ads' accusations that Marshall and Hamilton protected pedophiles. The group repeats the accusation against Hamilton and presents his CNN answer as support for it, which defends its claim.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Adam HamiltonDemocratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas and founding pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, in an interview with CNNDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Raju says Marshall is running ads accusing Hamilton of covering up a child sex abuse scandal and that Trump piled on in a Truth Social post. Hamilton says the president is lying and twisting the truth, and that every organization that looked into the claims four months earlier found them a misrepresentation of what happened. Raju then asks whether he would have done anything differently.
"Absolutely. Like, we should have called the police immediately. But that was not our policies 21 years ago. This is desperate attempts to try to deflect from a horrible record Roger Marshall has."
Challenged the characterizationResponding to: Boys were molested at Adam Hamilton's church camp, his church swept their reports under the rug and welcomed the abuser back, and Hamilton protected a pedophile.
Full statement and sources
Asked by CNN's Manu Raju whether he would have done anything differently, Hamilton says the church should have called police immediately but that it was not its policy 21 years ago, and calls the attacks a desperate attempt to deflect from Marshall's record.
After the statement
Hamilton says Marshall sued more than 700 of his own patients for paying their medical bills late, and Raju turns to reporting on the billing practices of Marshall's medical practice.
CNN: Can a Democrat snap Kansas' 94-year Republican streak and turn Kansas blue? · CNNVideo, 2:04 to 2:46 (Hamilton on the church camp ads)Why this label?
The reference point is the super PAC ads' accusations that Marshall and Hamilton protected pedophiles. Hamilton calls the accusations a misrepresentation and says the president is lying while conceding that the church should have called police, which disputes the characterization without denying the underlying events.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(7)
Original text
FactCheck.org: In Kansas, Both Sides Twist the Facts in Accusations of Protecting Pedophiles
Relevant passage: Full article, including the sections on the WinSenate ads and the Senate Leadership Fund ad
About this source
FactCheck.org's review of two WinSenate ads about Sen. Roger Marshall and a Senate Leadership Fund ad about Adam Hamilton. It quotes the ads, an emailed statement from WinSenate spokesperson Lauren French, statements from spokespeople for two donors named in one ad, and Hamilton's remarks in an October debate and on CNN.
- Author
- Paul Cuno-Booth
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
KSNT: Kansas senators explain votes blocking Epstein file release
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
A KSNT report, carried by its sister station KSNF, on why Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran voted to table a Democratic amendment to the defense policy bill that would have directed the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
- Author
- Colter Robinson
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Transcript: Donald Trump speech at a midterm political rally in Park City, Kansas, October 19, 2026
Relevant passage: Transcript, 00:31:17 to 00:32:34
About this source
Roll Call Factbase's time-stamped transcript of President Trump's rally for Sen. Roger Marshall in Park City, Kansas. In the passage cited, Trump says Hamilton shielded a child sexual predator at his church.
- Author
- Roll Call Factbase
- Published
- Accessed
Interview
CNN: Can a Democrat snap Kansas' 94-year Republican streak and turn Kansas blue?
Adam Hamilton, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas, tells CNN's Manu Raju that the church should have called police immediately and calls the attacks a deflection, in a report published Oct. 18, 2026.
Excerpt from 2:05 to 2:46 of the CNN video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: CNN. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Video, 2:04 to 2:46 (Hamilton on the church camp ads))
About this source
A CNN report by Manu Raju on the Kansas Senate race with interviews of Adam Hamilton and Sen. Roger Marshall. Raju asks Hamilton about ads accusing him of covering up a child sex abuse case at a church camp two decades ago and about a Truth Social post by President Trump.
- Author
- Manu Raju
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Senate Leadership Fund press release: ICYMI: Adam Hamilton Admits Failure to Report Pedophile to Police
Relevant passage: Full press release
About this source
A Senate Leadership Fund press release citing Hamilton's answer on CNN the day before about what he would have done differently.
- Author
- Senate Leadership Fund
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Senate Leadership Fund ad: Adam Hamilton: Unfit for U.S. Senate
About this source
A 30-second ad from the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, posted to its YouTube channel. The narrator says boys were molested at Hamilton's church camp, that his church swept it under the rug, and that Hamilton protected a pedophile. SLF PAC is named as responsible for its content.
- Author
- Senate Leadership Fund
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
WinSenate ad: Cover It Up
About this source
A 30-second ad from WinSenate, a super PAC that works to elect Democrats to the Senate, posted to its YouTube channel. The narrator says Marshall voted to keep the Epstein files sealed and used his office to protect pedophiles.
- Author
- WinSenate
- Published
- Accessed
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Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Super PAC ads accuse Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton of protecting pedophiles in the Kansas Senate race; FactCheck.org calls both attacks misleading or unsupported
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/kansas-senate-ads-marshall-hamilton-protecting-pedophiles
The Dispute Index. "Super PAC ads accuse Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton of protecting pedophiles in the Kansas Senate race; FactCheck.org calls both attacks misleading or unsupported". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/cases/kansas-senate-ads-marshall-hamilton-protecting-pedophiles